


Stutters

by harryingniall



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: <3, Angst, Cute, Fluff, IT - Freeform, M/M, Read, please, seriously what do you even put for the tags???, you'll love this as much as i did writing it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 14:12:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6156181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryingniall/pseuds/harryingniall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall has stuttered his entire life. Especially when Harry comes into it. But it all ends when he says three words loud and clearly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stutters

**Author's Note:**

> this is one huge chapter. it's just a quick idea i had so i wanted to share it. hope you all like it :)

Niall knows exactly why he stutters. And he tries everything to stop it, nothing works.

His best friends, Louis and Liam, always try to get him to read poetry out loud. Louis says how it worked for the guy in the Notebook. But it doesn't work for Niall.

He's twenty one now.

Niall stutters because back in eleventh grade, he was going to tell the guy he liked, that he liked him. He was going to leave a note in his locker because he was still shy, but he knew he needed to do it. Just to make himself feel a bit better.

It turns out the guy wasn't as dreamy as he thought.

_Niall is pushing the note through the slot in Jeremy's locker. He is trying to hurry because he should be here any moment._

_"Niall? What are you putting in my locker?" He hears Jeremy approaching him._

_Oh shit. He was too slow. Now what?_

_Niall freezes. His cheeks go hot and he drops his hands. The note is still hanging out._

_Jeremy looks at Niall confused before reaching up the grab the note._

_Crap. This is exactly what Niall didn't want. He didn't want to see his reaction. Too late now._

_Jeremy reads the lame note and his mouth drops. He looks at Niall before laughing._

_"You're really gay?" He shouts._

_Niall stares at him. "I-I gu-I don't-"_

_"Oh my God, seriously? We always thought you were gay, but we didn't know for sure! This is incredible!" He laughs, shaking his head, "And you like me? Out of everybody here?"_

_Niall furrows his eyebrows, immediately feeling like he wants to die. He doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know what to do. Can he run and hide? No, he'll look like even more of a coward._

_"I-I mean I k-kind-"_

_"Sorry bud, but I'm not gay," he laughs, pushing Niall out of the way to open his locker._

_Niall continues to stare at him. He can't move. He doesn't even know if he's breathing anymore._

_"I told you. I'm not gay," he snaps opening his locker, "So go?"_

_Niall opens his mouth. "I-I'm s-sorry that t-this-"_

_"Holy crap, can you speak normally? Or is this the faggot speaking now?" He laughs at his own joke._

_Niall doesn't think it's funny._

_Jeremy slams his locker shut. "Guys! Niall really is gay!" He shouts running down the hall to his friends._

_Niall still can't move. Or speak._

He's always been self conscious ever since. It shouldn't have bothered him that much, but he was already shy before that. He was already insecure and that just made everything worst.

Niall works as a janitor. Yes. A janitor.

At the local grocery store, near the college in London he is attending.

Louis and Liam told him it's the best job for him. He doesn't ever complain, and this way he doesn't have to talk to customers. No one notices the janitor.

He doesn't mind cleaning. Sure, the store might be nasty. But at least he doesn't have to talk.

Louis and Liam have been friends with Niall since his first day of college. God bless them.

They were too nice to Niall since the very beginning. Louis questioned it and Niall managed to stutter out how he has a stuttering problem, obviously, but he just nodded and said that it's alright.

It made Niall smile. No one was so nice about his problem with speaking. He's so glad he is friends with them.

Some days, Niall's stuttering is better. Some days, it's horrible. It all depends on what exactly is going on with him.

Louis and Liam also know that he is gay. And they don't care. Which makes Niall able to speak with them without stuttering as much. He likes it when they are alone in the dorm or something. Not out in public.

Niall wishes he wasn't so insecure and scared of everything. He used to be so fun. He still tries to be, but the stuttering limits that for him. And it's so fucking annoying.

Niall is cleaning the bathroom sinks in the grocery store, staring at his reflection.

He takes a deep breath.

"Hi," he says in the mirror.

He closes his eyes.

Now pretend that there are people around. Ask them how their day is, be polite. Don't be nervous.

Niall opens his eyes, looking back at his reflection.

"Hello. How was y-your day?" He asks confidently.

There. That was better.

For some reason, Niall can speak perfectly fine sometimes when he is alone.

Despite his insecurity, he still can look at himself in the mirror and maybe speak clearly.

Other times, he can't even look at himself.

He looks at his stupid janitor outfit before going back to the sinks. He starts cleaning off the urinals when somebody walks in.

Niall doesn't look at the man. He ignores him as much as he can. He won't talk to him if he doesn't look.

Niall cleans, back facing the man who is now peeing in a nearby urinal.

This couldn't be more awkward.

It's completely silent, besides the pee sound.

Niall can feel his cheeks burning.

"It's really dark in here. Do you have to clean up pee a lot from all the idiots that miss the spot?" The man's deep voice chuckles.

Niall widens his eyes. He turns away from the urinals, going near his supplies by the sinks.

Soon the man is walking to the sinks too, slowly washing his hands.

Niall pretends to play around with his supplies. His hands are shaking. Damn it.

He takes a deep breath. He probably looks crazy. He glances up to the mirrors. He sees the reflection of the man staring at him, the smallest smile at his lips.

Niall blinks a few times before looking back at the supplies.

"You're the youngest janitor I've ever seen," the man says, going to dry his hands, "Why are you, what shall I call it, janitoring?"

Niall doesn't turn around or laugh at his stupid attempted joke. He's scared. And from what he saw through the reflection, the man is absolutely gorgeous.

Long brown curls.

Niall takes a deep breath. He has to do something. This is his job, and although people don't normally speak to the janitor, he has to be polite or he'll get fired. He would probably pass out in the chair if they ever fired him.

He slowly turns around at the man who is taller than he thought, sending him a quick smile.

And the man is absolutely gorgeous. Although it is dark in here, he can definitely see his green eyes. He wears a t-shirt that shows some tattoos on his arm. Also a necklace peaks out from underneath.

The man laughs, nodding. Wow. He has dimples, too. "Good answer," he then frowns immediately, "Wait. Are you deaf?" He asks making some hand motions, Niall assumes immediately is sign language.

Why the hell is he speaking to him so much? Great. Now Niall is forced to actually speak out words now.

"N-No," he shakes his head.

The man starts nodding, "Oh, good. Do I look scary? Or smell bad? Or you just want to be left alone to clean? You a man who does the job well done, I'm guessing?" He smiles.

Niall chuckles gently. "Um, I-I don't kno-ow."

The man makes a little face. Like he's catching along to Niall's stuttering already. Great. At least he'll stop talking to him.

"This might be odd, but I have to say two things. One. Your Irish accent is amazing. Two. You are probably the most handsome janitor I have ever seen," he leans back on the wall behind him.

Niall widens his eyes. Now he definitely won't be able to speak. He feels his cheeks reddening like a tomato, and he looks away. He turns around, touching his supplies again.

The man then coughs, "Okay, I probably seem beyond weird. What's your name?"

Seriously? Can't he tell he just wants to be left alone?

"N-Niall," he mumbles, not turning around. He stares at the supplies.

"That's cool. I'm Harry. Harry Styles, to be proper," he hears him walking over.

Niall looks over his shoulder to see the man...Harry, holding out his hand.

Niall hesitantly turns around, taking his hand shakily. "Well m-my full name is Ni-all H-Horan," he bites his bottom lip, trying to hide his face.

Harry lets go of his hand, and Niall know's he is smiling at him. He doesn't like it.

"A nice name. Let me ask you a question, Niall Horan. Do you like ping pong?"

Niall blinks, glancing back up. Harry watches him with a curious, yet amused face. Why would he ask that?

"W-Why, I d-don't really know. Why did yo-you ask that?" He scratches at the back of his neck. This couldn't be going any worse.

He shrugs. "Just wondering. I have this cool ping pong table I just got, don't have anyone to pong with. You would most likely be good at it, I'm guessing. Using your wrist a lot to clean over here. Why don't you stop by? We can play and eat some M&M's with some Flintstones in the background," he chuckles.

Niall's stomach drops. He loves the Flintstones so much. This honestly sounds like a dream. But why ask him?

"I don't kno-ow if you'd l-like m-me to come and-and do that with yo-you," Niall shrugs, feeling awkward again.

Harry chuckles. "Why wouldn't I like it? I asked you, didn't I? Do you have a phone with you I can enter my number in? If that's alright with you? I can text you later if you want to stop by. I won't be doing anything if you aren't," he smiles, tilting his head at Niall.

Okay. What's going on. Is he being punk'd? This gorgeous man who is being way too nice to Niall, is asking him to hang out? When he doesn't even know Niall? This doesn't just happen.

But Niall just blinks, taking out his phone. He shakily hands it to Harry who grabs it without a word.

"Ah, the Eagles," Harry smiles, turning his phone around to show his background, "Good band. I have a few t-shirts of them," he starts typing out on Niall's phone.

Niall watches him in awe. He doesn't know what to do.

Harry finishes, handing Niall's phone back gently. "See you later, hopefully, Niall!" He waves, walking out of the bathroom.

Niall just blinks slowly. He doesn't know what happened. Or why. Or how. But he can't believe it.

He looks at his phone to see Harry texted himself.

He starts smiling at the message he sent.

"Hotel California."

Niall laughs to himself before putting away his phone.

He finishes his day quickly. At least it goes by fast. He hurries back home to Louis and Liam.

Louis is smoking on the couch when he comes back.

Louis looks at him before a creepy smile comes on his face. "What are you smiling at?"

Niall widens his eyes. Was he really smiling? He didn't even realize it.

"N-Nothing," he chuckles, walking over and sitting on the couch, far away from Louis. He doesn't like the smell of smoke.

Louis stares at him before putting out the cigarette.

"Spit it out boy," he smiles, scooting closer, "Ooh, this is so exciting. What are you hiding?"

Niall rolls his eyes at his rambling. Louis always gets overly excited for Niall about everything. Niall likes it though. It makes him feel loved and important, which is a nice feeling.

"T-Today at work somebody spoke with m-me. He wants me to go o-over to his place tonight," he smiles shyly.

Louis jumps out of his seat, looking down at Niall. "Is he a good guy?" Louis looks at him sternly.

Niall nods. "He was so nice t-to me and went out of his way to ta-alk to me. Yes, he seems like such a-a good guy. He wants to play ping pong and..." Niall has to stop talking because he's smiling too much, "L-Like, watch the Flintstones, e-eat M&M's and just hango-out."

Louis smiles, sitting back down, "Fuck, Niall, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you. What's his name?"

"H-Harry," he shrugs, looking down at his hands.

It sounds like such a pretty name.

Louis nods, "When you heading out then?" He places his hand on Niall's thigh.

Niall takes out his phone, looking at the time. It's about five. He first saw Harry around eleven.

Is he supposed to text him first?

Niall looks back at Louis. "I-I don't know if I should t-text him or n-not," he frowns.

Louis nods. "Why don't you just text him? He'll answer because he offered, Ni," he leans back in his seat.

"O-Okay..." He stares down at the phone, "W-What do I even say?"

Louis laughs, looking at his phone screen, "Just ask about tonight. Say like, we still up for later?"

Niall nods, typing in exactly what Louis says. His hands start shaking very badly. Louis notices and he reaches out to place his hand over Niall's.

"Hey, you're fine," Louis smiles, making Niall sigh. He wishes it was easy.

Before Niall can stutter something else out his phone buzzes. He is very quick to look at it.

"Of course. I was hoping I'd hear from you soon. Come whenever. x"

Harry replies with that message along with his address. Niall smiles. His heart flutters at the x.

Okay. No. He can't be falling for Harry when he doesn't even know him.

Maybe it's just nice that he didn't look at Niall for his stuttering even for that short period of time. People normally give looks which makes Niall feel horrible. But Harry made him feel normal.

Niall is staring at the message, not even realizing that Louis is talking to him.

He looks up, "S-Sorry, what?"

Louis laughs. "You want to go now. It's obvious. Go on, love. This is amazing," he jumps up, "And I want you to call me if anything goes wrong. I will come no matter-"

"L-Lou," Niall giggles standing to his feet, "It's a-alright. T-Thank you," he walks over to the mirror to fix up his hair.

Niall has never done this before and he doesn't know how to look. It obviously isn't anything fancy. So probably casual. Maybe fix up his hair a bit, put on some cologne. Just make himself look presentable.

Louis pats his back, "You look ace. Don't worry," he stuffs his nose into Niall's neck, making him flinch because it tickles before giggling. Niall moves away.

"I-I'm nervous, this is w-eird," he smiles shyly, feeling his cheeks blush.

Louis nods, "That's alright. Just be yourself, you know you're a charmer," he winks, walking over to the door. He opens it, waving his arm towards the hallway, "And I won't be stopping you. Now go on, Ni."

Niall rolls his eyes, awkwardly waving goodbye before strolling out. He heads over to his car, starting it. He lets out a deep, shaky breath.

Here goes nothing.

///

Niall put in Harry's address on his phone to get him there. He doesn't live that far away.

And Niall almost passes out when he sees where he lives. The house is huge.

Niall immediately starts getting bad thoughts in his head. What if he messes up and embarrasses himself? Actually, he already is, but it could get worst.

He sighs. He sits in his car a while before he shakily gets out.

He walks up to the door and waits a minute before ringing the doorbell.

He taps his foot as he waits for an answer.

The door swings open to a face he doesn't recognize. Fuck. He's at the wrong house, isn't he?

Niall blinks before going to turn around.

"Wait, don't leave," the man says. Niall turns around to explain himself but the man starts to shout, "Harry! Your friend's here!"

Oh. Okay. So he's at the right place. Who is this guy, then?

He turns back to Niall, forcing a quick smile. "He has been trying to get the house neater than it already is. Harry is a very clean guy, but he wants it to perfection. He's a freak," the man laughs.

Niall just nods nervously before bringing his hand up to his mouth to bite his nails.

The man stares at Niall and it makes him even more uncomfortable.

Soon he hears loud footsteps and Harry is running up, breathless. He smiles widely, "Hey Niall! Didn't know you were on your way yet, thought you'd send me a text. Zayn here was just leaving," Harry pats Zayn's back.

He gives Harry a look, "Oh, was I really?"

"Yes you were," Harry shoves Zayn out the door and Niall moves out of the way. Zayn stumbles out and gives Niall a quick smile.

"Don't let him get too crazy," Zayn says before running out to his car.

Niall slowly looks back to Harry who is smiling widely. He moves out of the way in the doorway, moving his arm to show him in.

Niall walks in and immediately sees a cat run across the floor. Shit. He's allergic. Niall should have mentioned that just in case.

"Hope you don't mind my cat Lucifer," Harry chuckles, "He's friendly, though."

Niall opens his mouth and a sneeze already comes out. Great. He shakes his head looking back up at Harry, "A-Allergic."

Harry widens his eyes, "Oh my God. I'm such a fucking dumbarse for not asking. What do I do now? Shit, why don't we like, what happens?"

Niall looks at him a little before chuckling. It's really not too big of a deal. He just sneezes and his eyes get sore, "I-It's fine. I-I'll j-just be sne-ezing a lot," he shrugs.

Harry nods, "I'm so sorry, Jesus, why didn't I ask? Sorry about that, Niall," he scratches the back of his neck, "Want to head downstairs, then?"

He bites his lip before nodding. What else would they do? Harry starts leading the way. Niall looks at the paintings on the wall. They're all very pretty.

"I painted all of those," Harry says catching Niall staring at them.

"W-Wow, you're ex-extremely talent-ed," Niall looks at him shyly. Harry smiles widely.

"I'm just kidding. I wish I painted them. I just love looking at them. At paintings. It's calming, you know?" He gives a quick smile over his shoulder before opening a door to stairs.

Niall doesn't answer. But he couldn't agree more.

Niall just thinks that people though are better art than art itself.

They walk to an extremely cool basement. There's the new ping pong table Harry mentioned, a mini fridge, a long couch with a nice TV, and a Pacman game machine. How sick.

"T-This is c-cool," Niall manages to say out loud. He walks over to the Pacman game.

"You think? What's your favorite part of it?" Harry follows him.

He shrugs. "T-The mini f-fridge is p-pretty co-ol," Niall forces out a shy smile.

Harry nods, "Yeah, mine too. It's nice rather than walking up the stairs all the time. I just keep a few beers in there, some small snacks. Whatever I'm feeling," he walks over to turn on the TV.

Niall watches him, putting his arms behind his back. He rocks a little and Harry walks back to him after putting on the Flintstones. Niall think's he's dreaming, still.

"Have you ponged before?" Harry asks, walking over to the ping pong table.

He learned that Harry uses weird phrases. It's kind of funny though. Enjoyable, even.

"N-Not really, l-like, no," he blushes.

Harry nods, "Good. That means I'll easily beat you," he winks making Niall blush even more, "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

Niall just shakes his head even though he would like a glass of water. He's really thirsty because his throat feels incredibly dry considering how nervous he is.

Harry gets out the paddles with the little ball. He tosses it on the other side for Niall, "I wasn't joking. We are playing a serious game of ping pong. I didn't get this thing for nothing," he spins the paddle in his hand.

Niall chuckles, picking up his paddle, "I-I'm going t-to suck."

Harry gives a fake sympathetic shrug, "That just sucks for you, then."

Harry throws the ball up to hit towards Niall. He does it gently and Niall hits it back. He thinks he did good.

And they go back and forth. For a good while. Which is surprising Niall. He thought he was going to like miss the first time.

Harry makes a little noise with his tongue. "Thought you never played before."

The talking distracts Niall and he misses. He blushes immediately, bending down to pick it up. He tosses it awkwardly to Harry, "I-I haven't."

Harry raises his eyebrows, "Well, damn then. You're pretty good."

Niall's cheeks are on fire as Harry tosses the ball back. Niall is still a bit flustered so he misses again.

He bends down to pick up the ball and he serves it himself this time, even though he wasn't supposed to. Harry doesn't say anything.

"So each time we hit the ball, just blurt out one of your favorite things, either if it's book, movie, color. Doesn't matter. Alright?" Harry smiles, looking up at Niall who missed the ball again.

He bends down to get it, "Um, a-alright."

Harry smiles as he gets the ball after Niall serves it, "Blue."

Niall doesn't know what to say, "G-Golf."

"Elvis Presley."

"F-Fall."

"The Beatles."

"T-he E-Eagles."

"Adele."

"S-Stuck I-In Love."

Harry lets the ball go past him. He looks at Niall with a smile, "And that's my favorite movie."

Niall nods, blushing a little. "I-It's good."

"It sure is," Harry bends down getting the ball but he hears a bang in the process.

Niall doesn't mean to, but he starts laughing.

Harry comes back up, rubbing his head. He gives Niall a quirky look, "Oh, that's funny to you Niall? Me hitting my head on my way back up?" He asks amused.

Niall covers his mouth, a few giggles escaping. He doesn't answer.

Harry just throws the paddle on the table, "I didn't know you were so rude, Niall! My feelings are now hurt," he says dramatically, walking over to the couch. He falls down on it.

Niall watches before slowly approaching Harry himself. He knows, thankfully, he's just joking around. But he still feels shy with him.

Harry is already looking Niall's way when he comes up. He smiles at him, and Niall blushes.

"Come sit," he removes his entire body from laying down, just to sit up straight. Niall sits down pretty far away.

Harry chuckles, "I don't bite. I mean, I will if I have to, but I don't see a reason to right now."

Niall sucks in his lips before slowly scooting over. Harry watches him and Niall doesn't have anything to say. He just stares up at the Flintstones, biting his nails rapidly.

He can feel Harry's eyes on him and he might lean over and throw up. He won't though.

Niall glances just his eyes in Harry's direction. He laughs lightly, making Niall blush.

"Whatcha doing down here in London?" Harry asks.

Niall shrugs, "J-Just needed t-to get away fr-om Ireland."

Harry nods, looking very understanding, "Yeah, I get it. How was your life back there?"

Niall inhales a deep breath, not letting it back out. He starts bouncing his legs up and down unwillingly. Now Harry knows he probably looks crazy.

He left Ireland because it was absolute shit there. No. He doesn't mean that. What Niall means is the people were shit. He absolutely loves the area. But he had to get away from all the people and try to start fresh.

Niall was hoping the stuttering would go away by then. A new country, new people, easier to talk. But it didn't for some reason. It just makes everything harder for him.

"F-F-Fine," Niall mumbles out, looking at his nails. He picks the skin off around.

Harry doesn't say anything for a while so Niall shyly looks up. He looks upset.

He then just lets out a deep sigh, "Good to hear," he says even though Niall knows he isn't meaning that, "Are you here for college? Or did you and your family move here?"

Niall nods, "C-College."

"Fun. Where are you attending?" He smiles again. Good. Niall didn't like the worried look on his face.

"Just t-the Uni-University," Niall shrugs.

"Do you have any other mates back there?" Harry rests his arm on the couch, leaning his head against it, getting a closer look at Niall.

"Y-Yeah. Me-Me mates Louis, L-Liam," he says awkwardly. Crap.

"Have you always been friends with them?" Harry scratches at his chin.

Is this a damn interview or something? Jesus Christ.

"N-No. College. Co-College I met t-them," Niall bites his bottom lip as hard as he can. He's so sick of stuttering.

He would love to have a simple conversation with Harry. Ask him questions as well, just fucking speak normally with him. Like a normal person. Niall wishes he wasn't so insecure and so fucking messed up.

"That's cool! I'm not in college at the moment, I attended somewhere far north for my first two years. Taking a break now to figure things out, you know?" Harry asks standing up, "I'm getting some beer. You sure you don't want something to drink?"

Just fucking ask for water. It's not a big deal, he's offering.

"W-Water, pl-ease," Niall mentally smacks himself. He honestly does this every time he speaks.

"I don't have water," Harry puts his hands in his pockets.

Niall just stares at him.

Harry laughs, walking to his mini fridge, "S'was a joke, Niall."

Niall then chuckles lightly to himself. He has to get comfortable with Harry's stupid sarcasm and joke attempts. It will make things less awkward, hopefully.

Harry walks over, handing him a water bottle. Niall takes it without saying thank you. He regrets it immediately. Harry won't want to talk with him now because his rude manners.

"That guy who opened the door is my best mate, Zayn. I've known him all my life. He was bothering me all day about this girl he likes," Harry rolls his eyes, "The man won't just talk to her and he bugs me about it. Wants me to talk to her for him. I mean, I am a wonderful wing man. But I've done it so much for him. Don't you think he should just go for it himself?" Harry leans back on the couch, drinking the beer from the bottle.

Niall stares at the drink going down his neck. He looks very attractive. His jawline is unbelievable, Niall's afraid to touch it because it'll probably puncture him.

"U-U-Um, yeah. H-He should probably ta-alk to her himself," Niall breaks his stare. He was staring at every feature possible on Harry's face. Looked a bit creepy.

Harry nods. "Yeah, I know right? He's a good looking guy too, don't you think? There shouldn't be a problem."

Niall widens his eyes, not doing anything. He doesn't want to make a comment on that. Honestly, if Harry were to make a rude comment about Niall being gay, or anybody being gay, he might pass out and never wake up.

He doesn't think Harry would though, just because how nice he's been. But he doesn't know him. He could be secretly mean for all he knows.

"Do you like being a janitor?" Harry asks, breaking the incredibly weird silence.

Niall shrugs. "N-Not the wo-rst thing. D-Don't ha-have to t-talk to people."

He looks up to see Harry frowning at him. His stomach drops.

"Why is that bad? I like the sound of your voice, Niall. You should talk to people more," he gives the smallest tint of a smile.

But no. That's not right. Niall can't talk to people.

Is Harry mocking him now? Trying to get him to talk to people to humiliate himself? He might pass out.

Niall shakily stands to his feet. He needs to go. He just needs to breathe. He doesn't want Harry to see him in a panic.

"I-I-I have t-to go," he shakes his head, walking towards the stairs.

"Woah, are you alright? Niall, seriously, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He hears Harry asking from behind.

Niall just ignores him. He walks up the stairs, approaching Harry's front door.

He turns around quickly, sending the kindest, but fakest smile he can make out, "T-Thanks for to-today. It was-was nice," he does a quick nod to a panicked Harry, his jaw dropped, eyes filled with concern.

He turns the knob, walking out the door to his car. He gets in, slamming his hands on the wheel.

Harry was being polite. He thinks. And now he just made himself seem even more crazy. He wishes he could just believe what people say to him, good or bad. But mostly the good and ignore the bad.

But bad is all that's in his head. Bad thoughts, bad ideas, bad comments. It just fucking sucks.

And he wants to hangout with Harry again. He hopes that he just didn't completely blow it.

He feels normal with Harry. And he's never felt this kind of normal, not like this with Louis or Liam. And he likes it. A lot.

He drives back to his place biting his nails. Once he gets back Liam is home. He walks in the door and Louis and Liam are currently wrestling on the ground. Niall rolls his eyes. 

They stop immediately, jumping up. 

"Niall! How was your evening? Louis mentioned it!" Liam smiles, out of breath from wrestling Louis. 

"Yeah mate, how was it?" Louis smiles, nudging Liam's side. 

"G-Good. I just-just got s-shy and left," Niall sighs, walking over to the couch. 

Louis and Liam glance at each other before sitting on both sides of Niall. 

"But what did he do?" Louis asks. 

Niall shrugs, "H-He didn't s-seem mad or annoyed. J-Just worried, maybe. L-Like he did something wrong. He d-didn't though. He just...h-h-he just mentioned how he likes m-my voice. H-How I should talk mo-re," Niall starts biting his nails again. 

Liam pulls his hand away from his mouth. Liam says how Niall won't have anymore nails left if he continues this. It's just a bad habit of his. 

"Wow," Louis sighs, "He seems like a good guy. Especially if he was worried after you ran off. You can ask him to come over here tomorrow, if you'd like. We can all hangout, it's no big deal." 

Niall shakes his head immediately, "N-Not yet. I'd ra-rather go somewhere."

Liam and Louis both looked shocked. "Go somewhere? That's weird, you usually don't like going places, Ni. You sure?" Liam asks a bit concerned. 

Niall rolls his eyes, "Y-Yeah. I'm not a ba-baby and Harry does m-make me feel comfortable. W-We could just s-see a movie where there isn't a-any talking. I'm f-fine with that. No o-offense, b-but you guys are kind o-of annoying. I'm not going t-to have Harry m-meet you, yet," Niall chews on the inside of his cheek. 

That's pretty true. Louis and Liam are weird. Harry is too, of course, from what he's seen shortly. But he honestly doesn't want them to like, steal Harry, which would probably end up happening. 

Because Niall's stuttering makes him awkward, and he's boring. Louis and Liam are loud, fun, and well, not boring. 

Louis and Liam start laughing immediately. 

"Way to sugarcoat it," Louis smacks the back of Niall's head, making him chuckle. 

"S-Sorry," he shrugs. 

Niall feels his pocket buzzing and his heart drops. He reaches to grab it. 

"Is it him? Oh, it has to be," Liam chuckles, leaning in closer to Niall. 

Niall smacks him away, looking at his phone screen. 

"Take it easy, take it easy. Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy." 

The smile on Niall's face has to be ridiculous. It hurts his cheeks and he clicks away the screen before Louis and Liam can look at it. 

He bites his bottom lip, glancing up to Louis and Liam who are staring at him, no expression. He then starts to blush. 

"Did he sext you or something?" Louis asks. 

Niall shakes his head, standing up and heading into the kitchen. 

Harry texted him lyrics from the Eagles. And for some reason, he feels like he's going to be a good person to have in his life. He's not going anywhere. 

//

The next morning Niall is determined to hangout with Harry. He wakes up staring at his phone screen. The three text messages from Harry. He bites his nails. 

He then takes a deep breath. 

"Want to see a movie tonight?" 

He stares at the send button. His thumb hangs over it. He shakes his head, getting out of bed. He storms into Louis' room, throwing the phone at his sleeping chest. 

He pops up, "What the shit, Niall?" He groans.

"Can y-you h-hit send for me?" Niall rocks back and forth on his feet. He doesn't want to do it. 

Louis sleepily looks for the phone Niall threw, picking it up. He hits send, throwing the phone back at Niall who backs away from it, letting it fall on the ground. He gives Louis a look before bending down to pick it up. He sent it. 

"T-Thanks," he mutters, walking out of his room. 

"Be careful!" Louis shouts. Niall just ignores him, making himself breakfast. 

He hears his phone buzzing from the table and he turns around to stare at it. He doesn't want to look at the message. 

But he slowly walks over timidly, peaking at what he said. 

"Yeah! Sounds good, I can look at some and surprise us. Get you around six? But I would need your address ;)"

Niall then smiles. He gladly picks up the phone, texting him the address. He basically skips over to finish his breakfast. 

He's happy. 

Throughout the day Niall just has small talk with Louis and Liam. They play some videos games, wrestle each other. It's no different than any other day, besides the fact Niall is going out alone. 

He sighs. He has work tomorrow and then on Tuesday. He really doesn't feel like going. He's lucky he has the morning shift.

It's around six and Niall is pacing back and forth. He's wearing a buttoned up shirt with some jeans, some lighter boots at his feet. He's biting his nails, waiting to hear a beep from the car. Niall told him to do that, because he didn't want him to have to get out of his car just to walk him back to the car. 

And soon enough there is a honk and Niall jumps. Louis and Liam are talking to him but he completely ignores them. He walks out the door, not looking up to Harry until he's in the car. 

Harry's wearing a grey sweater with some jeans as well, from what he can see. He looks really beautiful. His hair looks incredibly soft, along with his facial features. It's hard not to notice him. 

"Hey Niall, you look nice," Harry smiles, backing up the car. 

Niall blushes immediately, glances out the window, "T-Thanks," he mumbles not looking at him. 

Harry doesn't say anything. And Niall finds himself looking back at him. He looks focused on his driving. 

"Do you like comedies? I decided on one," he smiles as he looks quickly at Niall before back on the road. Niall just nods. 

"Good. You have a nice laugh, that's kind of why I picked one. But don't tell anyone I said that," Harry gives Niall probably the cutest smile he has ever seen. 

Niall's heart drops and he just blinks at Harry. He almost thinks he isn't going to blush but soon enough, the longer he looks at Harry, he does start getting red cheeks, so he just laughs it off without saying anything. 

When they get to the theater, they walk out together. 

Harry gets the tickets for them while Niall just stands there with his money in his hand, holding it straight out. He shyly looks up to Harry who catches the money in his hands, laughing and shaking his head. 

Harry puts his hand on top of Niall's gently pushing it down, "It's alright, Niall. I wanted to see this movie, so I'm going to buy the tickets. Just in case you don't like it, then you aren't wasting your money," he smiles, walking towards the food. 

Niall sighs. He really isn't wasting his money no matter what. He likes being with Harry. 

They wait in line and Harry glances down at Niall's shaky hands. "Order what you want. I don't want anything." 

Niall furrows his eyebrows, "O-Oh, no, t-that's okay. I d-don't want anything," he blushes. 

Harry shakes his head, "It's okay if you do, Niall."

Niall frowns. He does want popcorn. Normally Liam just gets it for all of them. Now Harry's going to make him get his own fucking popcorn. 

They're next in line and Niall approaches. He hates talking to strangers because they always give him a look. 

"C-Can I ha-have popcorn w-with extra b-butter, and a m-medium d-drink, pl-please?" He asks, barely making eye contact. 

He gets worse talking to strangers too because he already is self conscious about his stuttering problem. So it just sucks for him. 

Niall feels Harry's hand on his back, rubbing it up and down before releasing. Niall turns to look at him. 

Just like always, that stupid, but adorable and gentle smile is on his face. Niall just looks back to receive his popcorn, handing over the money. 

He doesn't say anything before they walk towards the movie. 

Niall is already eating out of his popcorn as they take their seats. He looks up to Harry, holding it out with his mouth full.

"W-Want s-some?" He mumbles, popcorn falling out. He blushes, wiping it off his shirt. 

Harry chuckles, "Sure," he reaches over, grabbing a handful, "Don't eat too much. I want to take you out for either dinner or dessert afterwards. Whatever you're feeling, alright?" He raises his eyebrows. 

Niall swallows, nodding. 

The movie starts and surprisingly, it's actually really funny. And Niall does laugh a lot, along with Harry. It was nice too because Harry made a lot of comments that were actually funny, which made Niall laugh too. 

Although they barely did much during the movie, which was expected, it was probably the most fun Niall was able to have in the longest time. It just felt amazing to him. And Harry makes everything better. 

"So what are you feeling Niall? Dinner or dessert?" He asks as they get into his car. 

Niall shrugs, "D-Dessert, I-I think." 

Harry nods, "Follow up question. A bakery, frozen yogurt, or ice cream?" He bites on his bottom lip. 

Niall stares at his lips before looking back into his eyes, blushing, "K-Kind of have a t-taste for bakery cook-cookies."

Harry chuckles, "Very well. Me too." 

He starts driving and Niall bounces his legs up and down. 

"There's this cafe we can go to. It's open until ten, so we might just make it in time. We can always eat them outside, it's a nice night. That alright?" He asks. 

Niall just nods, not saying anything. 

The drive is nice and Harry pulls to the side of the road to park. They head out towards the little cafe on the corner, walking inside. It's about nine thirty, so they are at a good time. 

They walk inside and Niall's eyes widen. 

Louis' old friend, Oli is in there with a girl he doesn't know. 

Oli is the meanest person Niall has ever met. And Niall is the reason why they aren't friends anymore. Well, a big part of it. 

He stands in the doorway, staring at him. He doesn't know what to do. 

Harry furrows his eyebrows, "Niall, are you coming?" He asks gently. 

Niall starts tapping his foot, "Do-Do you mind i-if I wait outside? I'll-I'll g-get us-us a s-seat," he frowns, going to bite his nail before putting his hand back down. 

"Um, sure. Are you alright?" Harry asks stepping closer. Niall backs away, nodding. 

"F-Fine," he answers quickly, walking out the door. 

He hurries to a chair, letting out a deep breath. 

Niall see's Oli around sometimes, and it's always bad. He's such an asshole, Niall can't even look at him without getting nervous. 

Sometimes he approaches Niall, or sometimes he just winks. He's a horrible person. 

The door opens and Niall squeezes his eyes shut. He knows Harry isn't done that quickly. 

"Niall!" 

He bites his bottom lip, opening his eyes to see Oli smiling down at him. 

"You on a d-date? I a-am," he smiles, sitting down across from him. 

Great. He always has to mock his stuttering. 

And no. He isn't on a fucking date. Is he? No, right? He's just hanging out with Harry. They are friends. They haven't done anything that like, people on dates would do. 

Niall just glares up, without saying anything. 

"Damn," Oli reaches over, grabbing Niall's hand. He harshly pulls it away, "The skin around your nail is bleeding. How nervous are you?" He chuckles. 

Niall flares his nostrils before looking at his hand. Yeah, he did bite the skin off too much. 

He reaches over to grab a napkin that's in a little bin on the side of the small table, placing it around his finger. He stares at it, not wanting to look at Oli. 

"How's Louis?" He asks. Niall glances up and he's smirking down at him. He still doesn't say anything.

Niall hears the door open and he sighs a relief. Thank God for Harry.

"I just wanted to say hi. B-But I know y-you c-can't s-say a-anything," Oli laughs. 

Harry approaches, putting the little box on the table. He glances down at Oli, "What'd you just say?" He asks. 

Niall hesitantly looks up to Harry who is glaring at Oli. Oli laughs. 

"Nothing, just saying hi to my mate Niall," he laughs, reaching over and hitting Niall's arm, probably too hard. Niall jumps, glaring at him. 

He stands up, looking at Harry, who looks mad, "Sorry it's hard to understand the kid. He's always had problems," he looks down at Niall. 

Okay. Now Niall's embarrassed. 

"I have no problem understanding him. I like listening to what he has to say," Harry shrugs, crossing his arms. He glares at Oli.

Oli chuckles, looking down at Niall, "L-L-Later," he heads back into the cafe. 

Niall's breathing heavily now. He doesn't want to look at Harry. He probably wants to leave him now. He squeezes the napkin around his finger harder as he tries to catch his breath. 

"Hey, hey, hey," Harry says gently, sitting down where Oli was sitting, "You're okay. Who was that guy?" He asks, reaching over to touch the napkin.

Niall pulls it away to grab a new one. It's one of those annoying skin rips that won't stop bleeding, although it's small. 

Niall shakes his head, "M-My friend's o-old friend. He...he's m-mean," he frowns, remembering exactly that one night where Louis kicked him out. Where they never spoke again. 

Harry frowns, "I noticed. I'm sorry. Are you okay now? Sorry I wasn't quicker, I didn't know that he was bothering you until I came out. What'd he say?" 

Niall glances up to Harry who has a crease between his eyebrows, a noticeable frown at his lips. He looks genuinely concerned. 

"M-Made fun of me," Niall actually tells Harry, "N-Nothing n-new, though." 

"There's nothing to make fun of," Harry shakes his head, "Do you want to talk about it? Or eat these cookies? It's your choice." 

Niall doesn't say anything. So he opens the box, grabbing two cookies. 

Harry is quiet too as he goes to eat some as well.

Harry sighs loudly which makes Niall glance up. He starts opening his mouth. 

"Look. I know we just met, and it's probably weird for me to say this so soon. But you can talk to me, Niall. I'm not one to judge, ever. And I like you. I like that I know you have so much to offer, even if you don't show it. I know you do because everyone does. And that's why I want to get to know you. You seem like an amazing guy. No, I know you're an amazing guy. And I want to know every part of you, no matter how long it takes. I won't go anywhere. Does that sound good?" Harry says cautiously, not taking his eyes off Niall once. 

And finally, Niall doesn't remove his eyes either. He just stares at Harry. He then starts nodding. Because yes. He would absolutely love that. He wants to know every bit of Harry, too.

Harry looks a minute longer before he smiles, giving a proud nod. 

Harry then starts rambling about the girl who took his order. How slow she was. It makes NIall laugh. 

He immediately forgets about Oli.

//

A month goes by. And Harry and Niall are still hanging out. 

Niall is for sure more comfortable with Harry. He still stutters a lot though because nothing is stopping that. He blushes a lot still, but he's able to say more of his thoughts out loud, which is a big deal for him. 

Today Harry is finally coming over to hangout with Louis and Liam. Niall's nervous and he doesn't know why. 

And Louis and Liam are good friends, but they both have big mouths. 

He's hoping they aren't going to say anything that'll make Niall upset. He just wants a nice night. 

Niall has hung out with Harry's friend, Zayn as well. 

And he thinks that Harry likes him. Like, actually likes likes him. Zayn embarrassed him a lot, which just embarrassed Niall too. But it made him feel maybe...special? No one ever likes Niall just because. 

Niall really likes Harry. Of course every time before he's with him, he's scared something is going to happen where Harry has had enough, and wants to stop seeing each other. But it never does, and those thoughts disappear the second he sees Harry's smile. 

His life is turning out better than it has been in the longest time. Ever since before his stuttering. And it's all because of Harry. 

Harry is extremely funny. He laughs a lot when he is with him. And Harry has said how funny Niall is too. Niall never thought of himself as funny, but that was until one day came to his house with milk in his hair because this girl at the grocery store spilled two milk cartoons that he had to clean up. How he slipped on them and fell. Harry had tears in his eyes.

It's just amazing. Niall is loving his life right now. 

And he never told Harry what happened with Oli and why he is so mean to him. 

Basically, they were at a party and Oli wanted to get Niall with this one girl. Niall of course, was stuttering and Oli was drunk and thought it was so hilarious. He then made a comment about how he is most likely gay and then Louis got beyond pissed. He never liked Oli that much, but that did it. Louis kicked him out and Oli hated Niall for ruining their friendship.

Basically, that's why he doesn't want to tell Harry. Because he's gay. 

He knows Harry probably already knows that Niall is gay because the way he looks at Harry just gives it all away. 

Niall does think Harry is gay too, but he isn't for sure. 

The only boyfriend gestures they have done is when Harry gets excited he grabs Niall's hand, or he sometimes wraps his arm around Niall's shoulders when they walk around town. But Niall, once again, just isn't sure. 

Harry's knocking on the door and Niall walks up to answer it. Harry smiles, holding up a big bottle of beer. 

"I brought this," he smiles. 

Niall laughs, letting him come inside. He scratches at the back of his neck, "Louis a-and L-Liam-"

"Harry!" 

Niall turns around to see Louis and Liam approaching them. Niall's cheeks turn red. He's already embarrassed. 

"We've heard so much about you. Niall does not stop talking about you, it's so annoying! We were wondering when it was finally time for you to come around," Louis chuckles. 

Niall glares at him. 

Harry laughs, "I've heard quite about you guys, as well. Nice to meet you," he smiles politely, glancing over at Niall. 

"Thank God you brought this," Louis grabs the bottle from Harry's hand, "This is Liam. He's the annoying one here." 

Liam rolls his eyes, "Hi Harry, nice to meet you as well. Niall's lucky to have you." 

Niall wants to smack Liam, but he doesn't. So instead he just harshly bumps shoulders in-between both Louis and Liam before heading to the couch. 

"Y-You can take a s-seat, Harry," Niall says nervously. 

Harry smiles at Louis and Liam before walking over towards Niall, "How are you?" He asks. 

"G-Good," he smiles back. 

He looks over to Louis and Liam who are smiling at another. Niall rolls his eyes, "M-Make your-yourself at home," Niall says to Harry. 

He nods, sitting down on the couch. He turns to Louis and Liam. "What is your idea of fun?" He asks them. 

Louis shrugs, walking over to sit by Harry. Liam follows. Niall just stands awkwardly. 

"We wrestle and play video games, ain't that right, Ni?" Louis asks. 

He just shrugs, "D-Do you want anything t-to drink, H-Harry?" He asks. 

Harry shakes his head, "I'm good, thanks, Niall," he scoots over, practically bumping to Liam which is odd because they just met, "There is room, come sit here," he sends up a smile. 

Niall smiles back, coming over to sit in-between Harry and Louis. Louis puts his hand on Niall's thigh, "Niall here is mean, did you know that? He doesn't mess around when we play video games or wrestle."

"Oh, I know Niall's mean. He's a monster sometimes," Harry jokes, leaning in closer to Niall to bump shoulders, making him laugh. 

"Let's play something," Liam says standing up to go towards the TV. Niall looks over at Harry who is looking at him. 

That's another thing about Harry. He is always, always, always, looking at Niall. 

They start playing FIFA, which is Louis' favorite game. 

Niall gets into it, like he always does. Harry laughs, watching Niall with wide eyes. 

"Think you're all tough?" He asks Niall with a smirk. 

Niall just bumps his elbow into Harry's side, not replying. 

They play different games for a while, having small talk. 

Niall then stands up, "I-I'm g-going to get snacks," he smiles. 

"Hurry back," Harry says as he walks away. 

Niall starts putting together some chips. He hears the game getting louder, which is odd. 

He slowly walks closer to try and listen.

They're all talking. He tries listening closer. He knows they turned up the TV so Niall couldn't hear them. He's not stupid. 

"He's just always been shy and his stuttering problem is bad. I know you've been incredibly nice to him, but Liam and I are way overprotective. He likes guys, you're a guy, and I just don't want him to be crushed one day when he's been getting feelings for you and you don't feel the same," he hears Louis telling Harry. 

Niall is shocked. He jumps when there is a loud noise, glass shattering at his feet. He looks down. Oh. He dropped the salsa. 

"Niall?" He hears Harry shouting first. 

Soon they are all in there and Niall's eyes are filled with tears. His hands are shaking, still in the position like he's holding the salsa. 

"What happened, did the jar slip?" Louis asks, walking closer to Niall while Liam goes to clean it immediately. Harry just stands, watching him. 

"D-Don't touch m-me. Don't you fucking t-touch me," Niall snaps. He sees the shocked look on Harry's face because he doesn't even want to look at Louis. 

Niall storms past them all, heading into his bedroom. He slams the door shut, trying to hide from the world. 

Niall has his head on his pillow, letting the tears fall. He feels humiliated. He can't believe Louis would say that to Harry. Yeah, he has a big mouth like he was worried about, but deep down he thought he wouldn't say anything. 

Now he ruined everything. He told Harry why he has a stuttering problem. He told Harry. Niall wasn't able to tell him. He did. Now everything is fucking messed up. 

The door is quietly opened before it's closed again. Great. Now it's probably Liam saying he's sorry Harry ran off. 

"Niall, what's wrong?"

But it's not Liam. It's the soft sound of Harry's voice. 

Niall squeezes his eyes shut hard, feeling another tear fall down his face. He's embarrassed.

The bed next to him is pushed down, then an arm is wrapped around him. His body tightens. What is he doing? 

He feels a kiss placed on the back of his neck. He shivers at the touch. Harry's lips feel warm though, an incredible feeling. 

"I thought it was obvious that I like you, Niall. Isn't it?" He asks gently, lips still on the back of his neck. 

Niall opens his eyes, staring at nothing. What?

He turns around to face Harry, whose face is close to his own. He can feel Harry's hot breath against his own lips now. 

Harry reaches up, wiping each side of Niall's cheek to rid the tears. Niall can't stop staring at his beautiful face. 

"I'm sorry that Louis told me what I know you probably wanted to tell me yourself. But that doesn't change a thing, Niall. Do you really think because you have a small stutter that it bothers me? It doesn't, at all. I like you for you. And you know what my favorite thing about you is?" Harry asks, running his hand through Niall's hair. 

Niall shakes his head. 

"I love that you have this small, hidden dimple in your left cheek that you probably didn't even know about. I love seeing you radiate happiness that shows it in your smile. I like seeing you happy," he smiles widely, and it makes Niall smile too. 

"Ah, there it is," he chuckles, reaching over to touch Niall's cheek. Niall shyly hides his face in his pillow. 

"But seriously, Niall. I like you. I'm not here to hurt you in anyway possible. Don't think that I think differently of you, okay? Because I don't. I never did and I never will. Okay? Promise me you will have some faith in me? Know that I like you for you, and there's not a thing I don't like?" He asks. 

He knows he has to believe Harry. Harry has been there for him for this entire month. He can't be playing any games. Why would he? Niall has to start believing Harry face to face. 

Harry likes him. This is all that matters. He isn't going anywhere.

Niall nods, "O-Okay. I-I promise." 

Harry smiles, "I want to kiss you right now." 

Niall can't stop staring at him. He wants to kiss him too. But he's scared. He's never kissed anyone before. 

"Y-You can," Niall just says shyly. He's wanted this for so long.

Harry smiles as he finally touches their lips together. It's soft and slow, but it's incredible. He feels something that he was never able to feel before. 

Harry pulls away, staring at Niall a bit before getting out his phone. 

"I want to do something," he glances back at Niall, "What's your favorite Eagles song?" He asks. 

Niall watches him curiously a little before he can answer, "M-My M-Man," he says quietly. 

Harry nods. He starts typing on his phone. He then hands it to Niall, "I know you already know the lyrics, but here. Every night I want you to read the lyrics out loud to yourself, or to me. Whatever you want. Okay?" 

Niall smiles as he stares the phone screen. If this is Harry's way of helping Niall, it's amazing. He loves it. 

He takes a deep breath. 

"T-Tell me the t-truth, how do y-you feel? Like y-you're rolling s-so fast that you're s-spinning  y-your wheels. D-Don't feel t-too bad, you're n-not a-all along. W-We're all t-trying to get a-along. W-With everybody else t-try'n to go t-their way. Y-You're b-bound to get t-tripped, and what c-can you s-say? J-Just go along 'til t-they turn out t-the l-lights. There's n-nothing we can do to f-fight it." 

Niall continues. And he can feel Harry's eyes on him. It's weird talking out the lyrics, but it's also kind of nice. He almost feels safe. 

Once he finishes, he hands back Harry's phone.

"I can listen to you talk for days," Harry says quietly. 

Niall looks at him, smiling a little. 

All Niall can think about is how he wants to be with Harry forever.   

//

Niall reads the lyrics out every night. And he's getting better at not saying them while stuttering. 

It's been about two months since Niall and Harry have said they liked each other. 

But now Niall is in love with Harry. Like absolutely, madly in love. 

Everything with them is perfect. Harry is perfect. 

Niall hasn't been this happy ever in his entire life. 

Harry is proud to show their relationship to the public. Of course Niall is shy about it, but it makes him feel so important. He's so thankful for that. 

Harry insisted that they ride bikes to the beach together. He's a sappy romantic. Wants to watch the sunset. 

"I-I'm bad w-with bikes," Niall rolls his eyes. "How will I-I peddle through the s-sand?" 

"Fight through it, you got it," Harry encourages and Niall just sighs. 

It's harder than he even thought. But eventually they get there and Niall hops off his bike immediately. 

"I-I'm not getting in the w-water. Too c-cold," he insists and Harry nods. 

"Good. I didn't want to either," he smiles sitting down in the sand. 

Niall follows. They made it just in time. 

"T-This reminds me of one of t-the paintings in y-your house," Niall says. It's the one right when you first walk in. A sunset over a beach on a beautiful night. Basically what they are looking at. 

"I know. I love things like this. Don't you? Just so calming," he shrugs. 

Niall nods, "M-My... I think though, my f-favorite kind of art is the r-real kind." 

Harry turns to stare at him. "The real kind?" 

"D-Damn it," he mutters, "I kind of-of mean people. Y-You. You. You're my f-favorite kind of a-art," Niall blushes immediately. 

Harry smiles, looking down at his hands before looking back at Niall. "Yeah. Out of every single artist creation I've ever seen, which is a lot Niall, you are by far my favorite," he leans in, kissing Niall's cheek. 

He then lays down on his back, barely peaking at the sunset. 

Niall stays up straight. He stares at the sunset. 

There are bad things going on in the world at this very moment. And he has an amazing guy next to him. One that changed his life for the better. Someone who cares for him, makes him feel safe. 

He deserves to know how Niall really feels. 

"It's such a beautiful night. These are my favorite kind of nights," he mumbles. 

Niall nods, agreeing, "Y-Yeah." 

"Are you cold?" Harry asks opening his eyes.

Niall didn't even realize he was staring at him, "N-No." 

Harry nods, closing his eyes again and leaning back. 

Just say it, Niall. Harry deserves to know. You owe him this. You need to tell him. 

He takes a deep, deep breath. 

"I love you, Harry," Niall says barely audible. 

But he heard him. Because Harry sits up straight. His eyes are wide, "What did you just say?" 

Niall blinks. Say it again. You can do it, Niall. 

"I said that I love you." 

Harry then starts smiling. His eyes start glowing and Niall almost gets scared. He looks too happy. 

"You didn't stutter, Niall," Harry shakes his head, crawling even closer to Niall. 

Niall furrows his eyebrows, "Y-Yes I did." 

Harry continues shaking his head, pressing his lips against Niall's, "No, no you didn't," he mumbles in the kiss. 

Harry pulls away, dimples popping out, "And I love you. I love you too, Niall," he smiles, placing another kiss on Niall's lips. 

Niall stares at him, "Did I really not stutter?" 

Harry doesn't fucking stop smiling. Niall's stomach drops. 

"I didn't stutter," Niall starts smiling widely himself, "I-I didn't stutter." 

Harry reaches over, running his hand through Niall's hair, pressing his lips onto Niall's cheek. Niall starts laughing. He laughs so hard and he falls onto the ground. Harry falls with him, starting to laugh too. 

"You didn't stutter," Harry smiles, kissing his cheek again. And again. 

"That doesn't just happen, Harry," he shakes his head, staring at the moon, "It's the moons curse." 

"The moons blessing, Niall. The moons blessing," he pulls his lips away. 

Niall looks down at him. He starts smiling. "Thank you," he whispers out. 

Harry blinks a few times before nodding. He kisses Niall on the lips again before looking back up at the moon. 

Niall lets out deep breaths. This is unbelievable. Harry is unbelievable. 

//

Niall barely stutters anymore. He does every now and then, but it's rare. 

And now he's able to love somebody. He's able to have somebody incredible love him back. 

"You ready?" Niall asks, "It's kind of lame, but I think it'll be a good fit for your house," Niall pulls Harry's hand as he walks into his basement. 

"It's already in my house, so let's hope," he teases. 

"It's small, so if you don't want it you can just give it back to me," he says gently. 

They walk down into his basement and Niall brings him towards the TV hutch. 

Harry peaks in and the frame that Niall put in the little windowed cabinet is in there. 

It's a picture of them that Liam took on Niall's phone. They're laughing together on Harry's ping pong table, which broke immediately after the picture. 

On the right hand corner in cursive writing, says the words, "My man..."

Harry glances up at Niall with a wide mouth, "You son of a bitch, I love you," he shakes his head, kissing Niall on the lips before tackling him to the ground. 

Niall laughs, pushing Harry off of him to run and grab the ping pong paddle. This is a new game that Harry and Niall have been playing, since the table is broke. 

He throws the ball up in the air, smacking it towards Harry. He ducks, grabbing his own paddle. He doesn't grab the ball though, he walks over towards Niall, smacking his arse. 

Niall yelps, "You're so annoying!" 

Harry laughs and Niall places his paddle under Harry's chin, standing on his toes to put his lips on Harry's. 

Turns out that bad things come to an end after all. That is until you find your happiness. 

Harry is Niall's happiness. 

 

_:))))_


End file.
